SAANICHNEWS Brotherly battle
Bridge delayed
Saanich brothers Jordie and Tyler Hughes faced each other in the Jackson Cup final. Sports, Page A24
Construction of a new span to replace aging Craigflower Bridge put off until 2013. News, Page A3
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
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2011 Gold MLS Award www.century21.ca/alison.stoodley
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Saanich wants your kitchen scraps Municipality prepares to launch kitchen scrap recycling program Kyle Slavin News staff
T
hose chicken and fish bones, paper wrappers and mouldy cheeses that aren’t fit to compost may not have to wind up in your trash much longer. Saanich is embarking on a three-month kitchen scraps recycling pilot project, where anything from compostables to soiled paper towel won’t be sent to the landfill. “I’ve been pushing at the regional level for this to happen for some time, and basically our initiative is a sign that we’ve given up on the (Capital Regional District) providing the service,” Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard said. As Hartland Landfill is estimated to be full by 2035, Leonard said steps need to be taken to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill. That will hopefully give it a longer lifespan. Saanich’s pilot project runs May through July in two select neighbourhoods: Borden and Nicolson streets, and Braefoot Road and Livingstone Avenue N. The 583 participating homes will receive two carts (to separate garbage and kitchen scraps) in lieu of garbage cans, along with a kitchen container and collection bags. Two different collection methods are being tested: modified backyard pickup (crews grab the carts from on your property and leave them at the curb once emptied), and curbside pickup (residents will be expected to move carts to the curb on collection day). Dave McAra, Saanich’s manager of public works, says the goal of the pilot is to collect feedback from residents on the different collection methods, and see
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Dave McAra, Saanich’s manager of fleet operations and solid waste services, holds one of the containers that select homes will get for the municipality’s kitchen scraps recycling pilot project. what the operational demands are on public works crews. “We want to collect as much information as possible, so depending on what the CRD decides (down the road), we’ll have some good data,” he said. Two municipal trucks will come around to the pilot neighbourhoods on collection day – one will empty the garbage cart, one will empty the kitchen scraps cart. The kitchen scraps will be sent up to
Hartland, but then diverted -- most likely to a processing facility in Cobble Hill, McAra said. “I’m hoping we get over 20 per cent (diversion),” he said. Over the span of the three months, he estimates two tonnes of kitchen scraps will be collected from the pilot area. “I think there’s still this sentiment that this is just backyard compost – but it’s more than that,” said Mike Ippen, manager of public works.
Fruit and veggie scraps, any leftover food, soiled paper products, coffee filters and grounds, solidified fat and grease, nuts and shells are all welcome in the kitchen scrap bin. Plastic, styrofoam, aluminum foil, pet feces, diapers, and yard and garden What are waste are among the items that aren’t kitchen scraps? acceptable. Kitchen scraps Much of the cost consist of food of the pilot project – waste ranging from $49,000 – should be fruit and vegetable recoverable, McAra scraps to meat, bones said. Because Saanand tea bags, and ich is using its existcompostable paper ing crews and existproducts, such as ing trucks during paper towels and the project, the only tissues. costs are associAmong the items ated with purchasyou can’t throw into ing the collection your kitchen scraps carts, which are recart are garden waste, sellable. dental floss, vacuum Leonard hopes contents, plastics and the CRD will evenaluminum foil. tually get onboard – Courtesy of Saanich with a region-wide collection model, but he’s glad that his municipality is moving forward on something he says is long overdue. “There’s some important service options to work through,” he said. “Usually taxpayers aren’t interested in operational issues, but operational issues cost money, and (taxpayers) do care about their tax bill.” The 2012 budget sees Saanich taxpayers spending $149.60 per household for garbage collection. The City of Victoria in February announced it will launch its own kitchen scraps collection program commencing in 2013. That municipality will use the modified backyard pickup collection method. – with files from Roszan Holmen kslavin@saanichnews.com
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